A Journey to Satisfy My Appetite and Curiosity

Weekday Dinner at Whitehall

March 27, 2012

I must have walked by Whitehall on Greenwich Avenue at least a dozen times since it opened a few months ago. The restaurant front lacks any obvious signs but always seemed to be teeming with activity inside. After hearing positive buzz from friends about their drinks and reading about their intriguing menu, I finally dropped by for a weekday dinner.

The weather was surprisingly warm so we started the meal with an icy bucket of East and West coast oysters and one of the many gin-based cocktails that Whitehall featured.

We followed up the oysters with the pressed duck terrine served with a crackling made from the duck. The mild creamy terrine with a smear of the homemade mustard had a good sharp bite, cutting through the richness.

The next appetizer, the pan roasted squid with spicy pork sausage and fingerling potatoes, was the complete opposite of the terrine. The flavors were sharp and loud, tamed by the creamy potatoes with perfectly tender squid. One of my favorite part was the gentlemen’s relish made from salty smooth anchovies.

I leaned towards the lighter side for the entree with the grilled mackerel. Two pieces were nestled in between layers of butter lettuce and sharp pickled onions. The lemon mustard dressing didn’t do nearly as much to the fish as the onions did to perk up the firm mackerel.

For a heartier meal, the lamb sirloin was a good option. Grilled to a nice medium rare, the sirloin slices were served on top of mushy pea fritter. This definitely had the hallmark of comfort food.

We ordered two sides of vegetables to round out the meal. The pickled fennel and scallion was refreshing but lacked more of a punch that I was looking for with pickling. Now, the crispy brussel sprouts seemed simple from their description but this is not to be overlooked. Each crunchy crispy piece was coated in a spicy and tart whole grain mustard, making this the most addicting dish of the night.

After we polished off all these dishes, there wasn’t much room for dessert at Whitehall even though I have read so many good things about the sweets churned out by the kitchen. But no worries. Now that I know what a great neighborhood find Whitehall is, I am sure that I will find myself here in the future many more times. The food was overall solid with a few fantastic standouts that I still think about and the atmosphere struck a good balance between relaxed and chic with a great bar for people watching.